FREEHOLD BOROUGH – Authorities are warning residents of two phone scams circulating in the area, one targeting grandparents.

Police said they have received reports of the scams in the past several months.

In the grandparents scam, police said the callers gather information from social media and other sources and then contact grandparents claiming to be their grandchild.

The scammers then tell the grandparents that money is needed for bail or other emergencies, police said.

In the other scam, callers claim to be a representative from the Internal Revenue Service, police said. The scammer tells the victim that the IRS has been attempting to collect owed taxes for the past three years, totaling $9,000, police said.

The scammer also tells the victim that if they are willing to pay $3,000 the government would forgive the remaining balance, police said.

“The callers use high pressure tactics and insist that the money must be paid that day,” police said in a press release.

In one case, the caller threatened the victim that they would be charged with three crimes and face nine years in prison, police said. That victim reported the incident to police and did not give any money out, authorities said.

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Police also said the IRS has warned others about this scam on their website and offered tips on what to do if they believe they were a victim of the scam.

“The Freehold Borough Police Department would like to inform our residents that these phone scams are becoming more and more common,” the release said. “If you receive a call you feel is suspicious, contact the IRS. If it turns out that the call was invalid, please file a report with us as well.”

Police said anyone with questions or believe they have been victimized can contact Detective Sgt. Andrew DeMuth Jr. at 732-462-1233.